For the last two to three weeks, I was introduced to a very wonderful subject that is related to my course, and that is Communication 11. Communication is a basic tool for living life. Without it, how can we live? How can we send messages to one another? How can we express our thoughts and ideas? How can we receive important information from other people? As we can see, so many questions can be raised when we don't have a means to communicate to one another.
Before anything else, we have to know what communication is all about. Based from what I learned, "Communication is a social process in which individuals employ symbols to establish and interpret meaning in their environment". It is imperative to take note of the following keywords:social,process,meaning and environment.
When one hears the word social,it usually means that we need people to interact with. So,does this mean that we have to interact with people just to say we are communicating? Well,not neccessarily. What about those who are alone? Can we say that they are also communicating even though they aren't relating with people? Of course, they are still communicating, only to themselves. Now, I'm wondering why it is normally a "social process" when in fact you can communicate with yourself. The reason for this, I will discover and find out....
Communication is a process. From this keyword, one knows that it's changing,evolving and never-ending. Therefore,what we can do is to adapt and adjust to the fast-paced changes we encounter and experience in communication.
In communication, people, like us, use symbols to send a message to anyone. Words are used to represent these symbols. These symbols are further divided into two types: concrete and abstract. Concrete symbols represent an object that can be perceived by the senses. It means they're tangible. The abstract symbols can't be perceived by the senses because they represent an idea or thought, even a feeling(perhaps). I can probably say that they are either felt or imagined.
The "meaning" that is articulated by the sender is received by the other person, the "recipient". The meaning The receiver or recipient may interpret,understand and decipher the message in his or her own way. To make the messages or meaning very understandable to the receiver, the sender should therefore know what his message is all about, first. He or she should also get enough time to articulate his or her thoughts and ideas to the message meaningful.
Finally, the environment where communication happens should be taken into consideration. In this case, people should take note of the "situation" or background they are in. We need to take time to know the person's culture and understand where they are coming from.
Communication is really an amazing subject to take especially when it is related to the a student's course. There are many things about Communication that students,including me, have to know and discover. The communication theories that I'm about to encounter with my blockmates during our next discussion will help me communicate effectively and eloquently. I'm also hoping it will give me a more well-defined idea on why people have to communicate.
